The Any Occasion Photography Blog

All You Need to Know About Wedding Save the Dates

A frequent topic in bride forums is Save the Dates. Brides want to know when to send them, do you have to use a picture, do you need to send them to everyone, and much more. Go no further, your answers are here!

When do I mail my wedding Save the Dates?

Typically you send out Save the Dates around six months out from your wedding date. If your wedding location is a destination wedding/cruise wedding you may want to send them eight to twelve months out so that your guests can put aside the money they would need to attend since these types of weddings will cost your guests more money out of pocket than guests would normally spend on attending a wedding.

Do I need to send them to everyone?

You should send them to all of your out-of-town guests that you want to attend your wedding. Also occasionally guests’ feelings are hurt when they find out that you mailed your save the date to someone else and not them. Be sure to keep this in mind when you send them out.

When do we need to take our picture for the save the dates?

I would recommend taking your picture for the save the date two months prior to when you want to mail them out to make sure you get them in the mail on time. This gives your photographer time to edit your images from your photo session and for you to pick the one(s) you want to use. Then you need to have them printed and delivered to you. Then you have to get them all into envelopes and address them. Finally you need to get them mailed. All this start to finish usually takes about 2 months.

Do you need to have a picture on your save the date?

No. Pictures make them much more personal and special though. However no picture is much better than a bad picture or a  really out of date picture. Most people use a professional engagement photograph on their save the date.

What types of save the dates are available?

Tons! You can do postcard style, greeting card style, magnets, photo strips and much more. Under each of these types there are also many variations that you can choose from. With postcards and greeting cards, you can change the sizes you want to use. With magnets, you can get them in many different shapes and designs or use more than one photograph.

Why do I need save the dates? I’m getting invitations.

The main purpose of the save the date is to give advance notice to out of town guests so they have time to prepare.  Younger couples especially like save the dates because they are more informal and allow the bride and groom to show more of their personalities than a formal invitation.

Just one last thing, when sending out your save the dates don’t forget to put aside one for yourself as a wedding keepsake!

 

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Senior Portraits That Show The Real You

Tired of the same dull boring school photos year after year? Take your high school senior Senior Portraitphotos the way you want! We go on location to photograph you at the location of your choice. You can change clothes for different looks and bring any props that you would like.

For the first time you can take pictures that show the real you and have a blast taking them!

If you don’t have a special location, that’s okay, we know of several locations in Central Florida that we can suggest.

You can even schedule an appointment with a friend and get pictures individually and together!

Contact us today to schedule your appointment!

Senior Portrait

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Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer

Selecting a wedding photographer is very important. After the music has stopped playing, the guests have left, the honeymoon is over there is still one thing left to remember your wedding day – your photographs! So don’t trust them to just anyone. Here are a few questions to ask your wedding photographer (and our responses).

Do you require a wedding photography contract?
AOP: Yes! A contract that spells out all the details protects both you and the photographer. Everyone knows what to expect so there are no surprises. It is ALWAYS best to put an agreement in writing.

Can I see one or two entire weddings that you’ve photographed?
AOP: Of course! It’s easy to just pick a few great images from each wedding and put those together on a website. If you look at an entire wedding, this will give you an idea about the style of the wedding photographer you’re looking to work with.  Just go to http://anyoccasionphoto.zenfolio.com/  and you can see samples of entire weddings we have photographed.

When will my wedding photos be ready?
AOP: Your wedding CDs are typically ready 2 weeks after your wedding day. Occasionally it can take 3 weeks.

Do I get my wedding photos as high-resolution files? Can I make prints from those files?
AOP: Yes to both questions! All of our wedding photography packages include high resolution CDs and reproduction/duplication rights. This means that you can print the photos on the CDs anywhere you want.

Do you have a backup plan should you become ill?
AOP: Yes! My contract states that I will do anything within my power to find a replacement wedding photographer should I suddenly become too sick to photograph your wedding. We typically send 2 photographers to cover every wedding. This way should one become ill there is still the other scheduled. In 7 years we have never had to use a substitute photographer. If the need should ever arise, we know several good photographers that could fill in.

Do you have back up equipment?
AOP: Yes, yes, and yes! Always. We always bring at least 3 cameras and backup flashes. We also bring extra batteries for all cameras and flashes, as well as backup compact flash cards. Like the boy scouts, we are always prepared!

Do you edit your images?
AOP: Yes! Your photos are each hand edited to be the best it can be! Your photos start out great, then we’ll work our magic to make them even better. Your wedding photos will look their absolute best. We call these edited photos – finished. Because they have had the finishing touches put on them.

Will you provide additional time if requested?
AOP: Yes! Additional time can be purchased at $100 per additional hour needed.

How many years of experience do you have?
AOP: We have been in business for 8 years. Our main photographer has been photographing professionally for 19 years, 13 of those included wedding photography.

What makes you different from other photographers?
AOP: Our photographs stand out from the rest as we constantly try new things to stay fresh and on the cutting edge. We also provide traditional images that are timeless so your wedding photographs will always look appealing as popular styles and poses are constantly changing.

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Seeing Each Other Before The Ceremony? Part 3

And now we come to the final part of our three part series on should a bride and groom see each other before the wedding. Here we will look at the advantages and disadvantages to seeing each other before the wedding.

Advantages of Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony:

One big advantage is taking some of the formal pictures before your ceremony and getting you to your reception faster. Before the ceremony your make-up and hair are fresh and your excitement is starting to build, so you will look even better for your pictures. You also get that first special moment with just the two of you.

Meeting on the StairsDisadvantages to Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony:

If tradition is really important to you, then losing out on the tradition of the groom seeing the bride come down the aisle as the first time he sees her on their wedding day might really disappoint you. Another disadvantage is that you have to fit one more thing into your busy wedding day schedule.

Really the decision is up to you, so don’t feel pressured to do what someone else wants you to do. Speak with your fiance and come to a decision together. Have a great wedding day!

 

Posted in Pre Wedding Planning, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Tips, Wedding Suggestiosn, Wedding Tips | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seeing Each Other Before The Ceremony? Part 2

In an earlier blog, I explained the origins of the tradition of the bride and groom seeing Before The Ceremonyeach other before the ceremony. Sometimes a bride or groom wants to dismiss this tradition, but the other still wants to hold onto the tradition. What do you do then? Well, having been married 13 years myself, I can tell you that one of the keys to a successful marriage is compromise. So how about starting the compromises on your wedding day?

A Compromise on Tradition:

Bianca Palmer, a North Carolina wedding photographer, has a great idea for a compromise that she has seen used by several of her past brides. The couple can talk to one another on either side of an open door, but out of the other’s range of sight. This way they can talk to each other, hold hands or exchange cards and gifts. This would allow the bride and groom to share a special moment together before the ceremony, but still follow the tradition of not seeing each other before the ceremony.

Don’t Want to Risk Accidentally Seeing Each Other?

Maybe the compromise suggested above sounds good to you, but you’re afraid of accidentally catching a glimpse of each other, but you still want to share a moment together before your wedding. I have a few suggestions that could work for you! You could write each other a note either on your wedding day or the day before and have one of your attendants deliver them while you are getting ready. Many brides and grooms call each other on the cell phone and chat while they are getting ready. This way you can hear each other’s voices. Once a groom recorded himself singing “their song” and snuck it into her getting ready bag.

It’s really up to you! It is your wedding day so do what you want!

Check out Part 3 of our series to see some of the advantages and disadvantages to seeing each other before the ceremony.

 

 

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Seeing Each Other Before The Ceremony? Part 1

A Quick PeekShould a bride and groom see each other before the ceremony? It depends on the bride and groom!

The Tradition:

Many people believe that it is bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding on their wedding day. Where did this tradition start? In ancient times, marriages were a business arrangement made between two families. In many cases the groom had not met his wife before their wedding. They were kept apart to make sure that the groom did see her and disapprove of her, refusing to proceed with the ceremony.

Not only do the Irish think that it is bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony, but they took this tradition one step further saying it was bad luck if the bride sees herself in the mirror. The Irish tradition states that if she sees her reflection, that part of her will remain in her old life and not move on with the rest of her. If either rule was broken, the wedding was usually postponed for a year. I’m pretty sure brides today’s brides wouldn’t be happy getting ready without looking in a mirror.

Be sure to check out Parts 2 and 3 to see what people are doing today that differ from this tradition and why.

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Would you let a bus driver drive a nascar racing car in the Daytona 500?

Would you let a bus driver drive a Nascar racing car in the Daytona 500? No!! Why not? Bride on Luggage CartThey are both professional drivers. A Nascar racing car is very different from a bus. The controls are different, the speed is different, the driving style is different and the list goes on.

The same is true for wedding photography. Just the other day a bride mentioned in a bride online forum about having her engagement photos done by a professional fashion photographer that had just come back from Fashion Week. She loved the photographer’s fashion photography, but when she got her engagement pictures back, she hated them.

I hear stories like this all the time. Sometimes it’s a fashion photographer, other times a nature photographer, a portrait photographer or some other type of photographer. The fact of the matter is that wedding photography is totally different than any other type of photography out there. The styles, lighting and composition of the photography are very different.

Great wedding photography takes extensive time and experience to learn correctly. You cannot control your environment at all. You must be prepared to take a picture on a moment’s notice. Most importantly, there are NO do-overs. You must get it right the first time.

A great wedding photographer also knows the best angles to take the most flattering pictures. All it takes is a slightly different angle to make the average bride look skinnier, however all it takes is another angle to make the same bride look ten pounds heavier.

Lighting is also a big challenge for most wedding photographers. Most reception locations are dark. Inexperienced photographers do not account for this and can end up with dark or out of focus pictures.

Wedding photography is so much more than just pointing a camera and pressing a button. If you wouldn’t let a bus driver drive a Nascar race car, then why would you let any one besides a professional wedding photographer photograph your wedding?

Hands Over Wedding Bouquet Spot Color

Posted in Pre Wedding Planning, Real Life Weddings, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Tips, Wedding Tips | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Want to save money on your wedding flowers?

Here’s a quick tip to save money on your wedding flowers – buy seasonal flowers! If you purchase flowers for your wedding that are in season you pay MUCH less than what you would pay for flowers not in season. So what’s in season during your wedding?

Spring Flowers -  The most common wedding flowers in season for spring are: peony, forsythia, and lily of the valley. Please note, however, that the lily of the valley has a very short season around April/May and is one of the more expensive seasonal wedding flowers.

Summer Flowers – The most common wedding flowers in season for summer are: delphiniums, gladioli, columbine (aquilegia), and snapdragons.

Fall/Autumn Flowers -  The most common wedding flowers in season for fall/autumn are: dahlias, hydrangeas, and chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums are available all year round, but their actual season is in the fall.

Winter Flowers – The most common wedding flowers in season for winter are: amaryllis, nerine, and cymbidium orchids.

According to www.wedding-flowers-guide.com , expect the best quality and lowest prices to be for seasonal wedding flowers that are in their normal flowering season. If you want a flower that should be available all year long, they recommend: roses, anthuriums, orchids, lilies, and gerberas (gerber daisies).

Bridal Bouquet

 

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Bridal Bouquet Alternative: Brooch Bouquet

An emerging alternative to the traditional floral bouquet is the brooch bouquet. You can make a wedding bouquet out of pins/brooches and create a unique wedding keepsake. Take pins of things you like, symbolic pins commemorating things in your relationship with the groom or collect pieces from family members to create something special.

Just keep in mind – it sure is heavy, so you may want to have a special place put aside for it during the reception. Also don’t forget a spare floral bouquet for your reception toss, because tossing this bouquet would take out anyone in its path!

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The Importance of Having a Back Up

You may have noticed a gap in my blogs. Well, my WordPress blog encountered an unforeseen technical difficulty and I lost all of my blogs. I was able to find some of them cached on Google and could simply copy and paste them into my new WordPress blog, but some were not cached and I’ll have to write them over again as time permits.

I’m a firm believer in backing up everything. My web page, my images, my contracts…but I never thought to back up my blogs. I sure do now!

As a wedding photographer, I use back ups ALL the time. When I photograph a wedding, I always schedule a second photographer to go with me. My second photographer is a safety net in case of a problem. You never know when someone will walk in front of the camera or knock the photographer over. Yes, I’ve had these happen before and much more.

My back ups don’t stop there. I also bring back up equipment to every photo shoot. Back ups all around – camera batteries, flash batteries, extra compact flash cards, extra camera, extra flash, battery chargers, extra lenses and the list goes on. As the boy scout motto goes: Be Prepared. The boy scouts have nothing on me!

That’s not the end of my back up system. I also back up all of my images. First the images are immediately copied to the editing computer and to a back up external hard drive. Once the images have been edited they are then copied into a new folder on the external hard drive and uploaded to our ordering website. They are also still on our primary editing computer. That means your images are stored in at least three different places.

We are also a back up system for you! We keep your images on file for at least two years, with some as long as seven or eight. So if something happens to your images we can help!

Posted in Engagement Photography, Real Life Weddings, Senior Photography, Senior Pictures, Senior Portraits, Wedding Photography | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment